 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Reporter claims his major air carrier assigns similar call signs to company flts so that employees can easily tell the direction and destination of each flight.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 433242 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199904 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | navaid : cie.vortac |
| State Reference | AZ |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zab.artcc tower : fll.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : enroute altitude change |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zab.artcc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 8000 |
| ASRS Report | 433242 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : insufficient time |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | ATC Human Performance FAA |
| Primary Problem | FAA |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : tus.tower |
| Publication | Faao 7210.3 |
Narrative:
Our major air carrier has a great propensity to assign similar sounding call signs to facilitate recognition by employees of the direction and/or destination of a flight. Example: similar callsigns are mentally confusing to pilots and opens up the possibility of clrncs being given or accepted by the wrong flight. Later in the flight to tus, az, another air carrier showed up at the same destination and at the same time with the exact same flight number. Solution: design a computer program companies can use (like a kind of spell check) to catch 'similar sounding' flight numbers. In addition, ATC should not allow the exact same flight numbers to be filed by different companies.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: RPTR CLAIMS HIS MAJOR ACR ASSIGNS SIMILAR CALL SIGNS TO COMPANY FLTS SO THAT EMPLOYEES CAN EASILY TELL THE DIRECTION AND DEST OF EACH FLT.
Narrative: OUR MAJOR ACR HAS A GREAT PROPENSITY TO ASSIGN SIMILAR SOUNDING CALL SIGNS TO FACILITATE RECOGNITION BY EMPLOYEES OF THE DIRECTION AND/OR DEST OF A FLT. EXAMPLE: SIMILAR CALLSIGNS ARE MENTALLY CONFUSING TO PLTS AND OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY OF CLRNCS BEING GIVEN OR ACCEPTED BY THE WRONG FLT. LATER IN THE FLT TO TUS, AZ, ANOTHER ACR SHOWED UP AT THE SAME DEST AND AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE EXACT SAME FLT NUMBER. SOLUTION: DESIGN A COMPUTER PROGRAM COMPANIES CAN USE (LIKE A KIND OF SPELL CHK) TO CATCH 'SIMILAR SOUNDING' FLT NUMBERS. IN ADDITION, ATC SHOULD NOT ALLOW THE EXACT SAME FLT NUMBERS TO BE FILED BY DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.